Michael Bennett Calls Belichick a 'Savant' and Has No Hard Feelings About Getting Dumped
Remember when Michael Bennett got suspended for a game for yelling at his defensive line coach Bret Bielema? And how during that week when he was a healthy scratch the Patriots defense dropped a donut on the Jets, giving up just 154 yards of total offense? And then afterwards they figured they can be just fine without him and his big cap hit, said “to hell with it” and shipped him to the Cowboys for 100 arcade points worth of Dave & Buster’s arcade tickets?
At the time, it felt like a risky move for two reasons. The first, that the Cowboys are on the Pats schedule. The seccond that Michael Bennett is notorious for playing angry. The kind of guy that if you like him, you call him “passionate.” And if you don’t like him, you call him a rageholic who just can’t live without rageahol:
Through whichever pair of X-ray Specs you view Bennett, it was a pretty logical assumption that he’d been on fire this week, now that he’s going to get to face the team that did him dumped three weeks ago. That a guy who plays with a sharpened, Hattori Hanzo edge under the nicest of circumstances would come into this one weapons-grade angry, looking to exact his vengeance on the team and the coach who did him dirty.
But according to Bennett, he’s not playing the Revenge Card. And I’m as surprised about this as you are:
Source – “It’s never personal in the NFL, it’s always business,” Bennett said softly but with conviction. …
And while he has been productive with the Cowboys, recording three sacks, seven quarterback hits and eight tackles in three games as a backup defensive end and nickel defensive tackle, there is no motivation to prove anything to the Patriots and coach Bill Belichick for the 11-year veteran. …
“At the end of the day, I just think Bill is a great motivator. I think he understands football from the beginning,” Bennett said. “He’s a historian when it comes to football, plays. He can remember anything when it comes to it. He’s just a savant. I think he just knows how to put people in great positions to make plays.”
Bennett didn’t stop there with his praise for Belichick and the Patriots.
“I learned a lot of football in New England,” Bennett said. “As a player, you go into the situation, and you think you know football. Then, you meet somebody who’s above you and knows everything about the game. For me, I learned a lot about football in that situation, learning how to execute at a high level, learning what it takes to develop players. I learned what it feels like to break down a game plan from a different perspective, and I think it was good for me as a player. If I ever want to be a coach, it would be a good situation to take into that.”
I’ve never been the biggest Bennett fan in the world and God knows I had my doubts he would play nice with others in New England.
And my doubts were semi-confirmed by the fact he got put in the time out chair before he made it through half a season. But that’s all in the past. I can respect a man for respecting the chance to learn at the foot of the great Philosopher King Belichick. Who can accept the lessons of his wise teachings and use them to better himself, even after 11 years in the league.
Bennett might have a problem with authority, but those quotes are the words of someone who gets it. “Savant” isn’t the worst word, but it’s goes deeper than that. He’s more like a deity. Buddha Belichick. And like hundreds of players who came before him, he appreciates the opportunity to be exposed to Belichick’s sage teachings and infinite knowledge and use it to make himself a better person. Even if he only gets to spend six weeks walking the Path of Wisdom in New England, each step got him one step closer to true Enlightenment.
So I’m glad he holds no grudge, harbors no ill will toward his former team. Just as long as Bennett realizes Belichick probably taught him a few wrong things, just to use against him when the need arises. And this game is as good a time as any.